Owner	Pose
Clint Barton	Hydra wasn't a cohesive entity. Forced underground since the end of World War II it survived by living by its maxim, 'cut off one head, and two more take its place', which meant they operated in cells that worked independently of each other. There was no central 'Hydra network' but a series of networks connected by a dizzying array of back channels and sometimes even by physical couriers, moving data by encrypted drive. That wasn't to say each cell's network didn't have their vulnerabilities. In today's day and age, world conquest meant conquering the digital world as well as the physical and that required having complex computing infrastructure; and as any hacker could tell you, no system, no matter how well designed is never completely secure. However, the cell that attacked SHIELD had done their best to make that difficult. Their network, mapped by Skye's program, was wide spanning and embodied the Hydra ethos of multiple redundancy, the outer rings of its defenses were spread throughout the world. Heads of the Hydra that had to be lopped off, before you could plunge your sword into it's body and slay the beast. Or at least in theory. When the heads of that hydra had bitten into the SHIELD network, for a moment they opened a path to the body and Skye had slipped a in a subtle blade to be twisted when the time was right. And that time was fast approaching.
Natasha Romanoff	For safety reasons, the two main people involved in the computer side of things have been completely seperated. Natasha is at a safehouse offsite. It should be impossible to trace her back to her location but they are taking nothing for granted with this one. If it does happen, the current location cannot be traced back to SHIELD officially. She has her computer set up with three screens to make sure everything is easily tracked as she works. There is a cup of coffee next to her. She sips it while she can. Additionally, she is ready to mobilize should they succeed. No way she is going to let everyone else have the fun. Well, if any of them are in the area near her. There is no telling what or where Hydra might be hiding. That was their nature. She tapped her commlink. "All set on this end."
Skye Johnson	After all the angst and anguish and interminable waiting.. Today was finally the day. Skye was unexpectedly calm about the matter. She'd spent the evening in a state of a growing feeling of dread, only to try and bury that in Clint's arms, to wake in the morning surprisingly calm and centered. There was literally nothing more she could do about any of this. Tonight this would all be a memory. Skye hoped it wouldn't be an object lesson as well. She was in flight, with all her scramblers in place. Her system its own hotspot that didn't run through SHIELD. Nat was working with what Stark had provided for them. Strike teams were allocated to their own locations. The teams all fitted with comms that ran on randomly jumping frequencies that, again, were disconnected from SHIELD. Thank-you R&D. It was all paranoia of the finest degree. Skye had her own personal reasons for the paranoia - firmly placed in the knowledge that one IcedLotus - as well as all the attendant reasons for SHIELD itself. It was Hydra after all.. She'd kissed Clint goodbye early that morning, and now it was time. In the air, and systems up and running, Skye checks in, "Right. So if this all goes according to plan, we're going in, taking what we can, and cutting our loses when we get caught. Once we have anything, you'll have yours, teams. Any questions? If not, ready for countdown. Nat, you're up first. And yeah. Good-luck."
Clint Barton	The strike teams check in one by one, though one check-in, a voice that's familiar to them both, replies, "Red Five standing by," slipping in the Star Wars reference before amending with a laugh. "Oh wait, that's not us, Strike 7 is good to go. Good luck, ladies." Seems like Clint is ready to go. As for Hydra, they seem to be none the wiser, the piece of code hidden away in their system pings as still there and the flow in and out of the peripheral nodes of their network weren't showing any spikes to suggest undo activity on their part. So far so good.
Natasha Romanoff	"On my mark." Natasha was all business although she smirked faintly at the joke. Not that she was going to let on that she got it or thought it was funny. Tapping a few keys, she brought up her code in one window then the focus screen in the middle. "In three...two...one...Commencing attack." It was strange to be doing so with a keyboard instead of her normal ways. She preferred the physical. this was more Skye's arena. But her purpose was to run interference. Be the 'face' of the attack while Skye did all the hard work. She had to play it subtle though. Too much so, she would be obviously the trojan and they'd be looking for another. So her approach was as though she was the only one going on and trying to retrieve the data. She took one final sip of coffee then set the cup aside as their code started scrolling past on her screen.
Skye Johnson	Skye.. oh so got the Star Wars joke. She was just geeky enough that she smirked. Possibly because of the joke itself, or just as likely, because of who made it, knowing it was a coded tension breaker headed her way. She didn't respond, though. Her job was the screens in front of her. Hearing all the teams check in, though... Skye felt the weight of it. And then her screens were lighting up. Nat had started. Whatever doubts that may have been lingering had no place in the operation anymore. All Skye had to worry about was getting in, getting the info, and shutting them down. She didn't have illusions that they could get the info and get out unseen. There was a failsafe for that if it were possible - always have plans for the impossible - but she didn't think they'd be using it. All she needed to do now was wait for her opportunity to slip in under Nat's covering radar, and trust the other woman to play her part well. And after going head to head with Nat, Skye was fairly certain the two understood what the other was capable of. Skye put her faith in Nat, and waited for her opportunity. Insertion code at the ready; sleeper just waiting for activation.
Clint Barton	Even the outer nodes of he network are like iron fortresses against attack. Solid bastions with roving security programs like searchlights landing on any bits of code heading in and out of the front door and scouring them for hidden data packets. Naturally there were ways past the searchlights and the walls, into the node. One such back door, left casually open as though it wasn't a trap. The other ways in, the real ways in, would take some subtlety and the ability to spoof the admin's password.
Natasha Romanoff	That open door is ignored. There is never that sort of a door in any truly secure system. Natasha knows that Hydra well enough to know they are not sloppy. At all. They think and rethink then set things aside and think some more to be sure they are kept safe and functioning. The fact they survive to this day is proof of their effectiveness. She fires off a few lines of code, between those spotlights as she starts the search for the bytes she needs which will build up that password. It's subtle, quiet, and completely non invasive as little pieces are plucked from the streams and put into the right formatting. She lets her fingers fly over those keys then pauses, taking a breath. She holds it and plugs in that password. She makes sure to put a little bit of a security blanket around it, figuratively speaking, so that they won't be able to trace it. In fact, they won't even know that someone is logging in under an admin if her code works, yet she should get her foot in the door.
Skye Johnson	Skye, meanwhile watches. Her code is in place and ready. Nat's work is scrolling in an independant window. It's neat work. Clean. Subtle. And simple. All the best things when dealing with code; especially hacking. And it's within the bounds of what Skye herself would have done - with Nat's own little twist. Skye was amused that she was already beginning to pick up the telltale markers that notated things at Nat's amongst the lines of code that went on by. Others would have missed them. Of course, that was Skye's job, after all. It was all hurry up and wait for the junior agent now. Comms channels silent on her and Nat's end while the opening salvos were made. Possibly nervewracking for those on the outside, but situation normal for what they were doing. It would be later that things would get hairy. Right now, though? You could hear the fans on the laptop.
Clint Barton	That repackaged code wrapped in the flags of a half-dozen countries, none of them Nat was in, unlocks the door and it swings open. Once inside that door shuts again and new door appears, asking for a new password, a time counting down beside it 10, 9, 8...
Natasha Romanoff	A hint of a frown mars her expression as she watches the code on the third screen finding the information she needs. It's taking too long. ...5...4....3.... It pings on her screen and she types in the new code just as the ...1... flashes across her screen. She just hopes it was in time.
Skye Johnson	Skye, meanwhile, holds her breath. When the countdown starts, she's already going over possibilities in her mind, opening a window and tapping short, sweet little strings in, keeping a watch on Nat's window.. whatever did people do before split screen possiblities?? Not that she doesn't trust Nat, but at this point it's not about ego, it's about the mission, and if they fail at *in* they're not going to get far. As it happens, though, Nat looks to have it well in hand. Breath holding now commences on waiting to see whether Nat's send works. Skye scrabbling to draw up contingency plans if it doesn't.
Clint Barton	The door clicks open, but a flare shoots up, and security programs come running like dogs towards that open door. Time was short but that opening node was wide open in front of her comm logs, local logins but more importantly the roadway to the main body of the network. The problem is their presence is noted and people will be looking. Hydra Data Centre Location: ???? IcedLotus preferred to work alone, which is why despite the state of the art data center she commanded, she was squirreled away in tiny room she kept dim, spare, no real furnishings except for a small table, a mini fridge and a futon. She'd done her best early work in places like this and didn't see a reason to change now. While she sat in the dark, she watched her screen and sipped jasmine tea. What was on it was the status from the various data points in her charge. Traffic in and out, the messages and minutiae of an organization purporting to want rule the world. It seemed stupid to her, all this time and trouble spent on metahumans, superweapons, and *snicker* doomsday devices. The world was ruled by information and it seemed only her Benefactor understood that. Which is why she would have agreed to the job if she had been given a choice. While Hydra squandered its resources fighting a war eighty years gone, he made sure she got her share to fight the next one. He focus snapped to the bank of screens in front of her and her fingers flew over the keys. There's a moment's pause when taps a button on her nearby phone to answer a call. It was Horizon, her number two at the data centre. "Yes, I see it too. Run Spyglass, find out who's doing this. I'm running Terracotta on our external facing nodes." On the node, more doors begin to pop up, asking for passwords, even legitimate traffic is being halted by them, as the node begins to fill with them like so many terracotta warriors. It was time to move quickly, get past the node or come at another and circumvent the whole mess.
Natasha Romanoff	As the doors pop up, the mini program Natasha had in place is providing passwords and sending them automatically. Which is when she fires off her first salvo. The lines of code are input into the doorway she has open. It is purposeful, meant to draw the eye and attention. It looks like she is trying to bulldoze her way through. The true attack is behind that, the three lines set up which will allow her to come in sideways Behind those doors that keep popping up and blocking her entrance. The Widow lets her fingers fly as things become less passive and more aggressive. They know she is there. She just has to get deeper into their system. All the while trying to be sneaky but only sneaky enough to get where she needs. She doesn't want to be entirely invisible. It's a thin blade to dance upon. She smiles at that image, murmuring to herself. "But that's what ballerinas do."
Skye Johnson	Nat can't see the smile flit over Skye's lips at that single utterance goes on by, but it's there. Oh, it's there. What Nat's doing is beautiful and perfect and oh what a dance on that blade. Now. Now's when she setlles in right properly. Her window of attack will come shortly, once that sideways gesture slices in between the cracks. The more overt attack is watched, but only peripherally now, as Skye focuses on the other. Her insertion codes need be ready for the window when it opens. She'd told Clint she knew down to seconds what each and every one of her processes needed to run. Truth was, she had it down to milliseconds. The past days had been spent running endless scenarios and clocking the data. Once things began, she knew what she needed. "BlackSwan," is all she says. If Nat didn't have a name before? She does now.
James Barnes	Bucky was with Clint's strike team as they waited their cue. Dressed in his garb as the Winter Soldier that would give the Russians and even HYDRA nightmares, his vibranium arm clearly visible to all he's surrounded by. He doesn't bother with the facemask this time, bulletproof vest around his chest and armed to the teeth. He waited with Clint until the time was right, and he knew Natasha would be the one on point....so perhaps there was worry on his features, but he knew she was trained well. He -knew- and he remembers that much well enough. A small breath as he remains silent. Not a word.
Clint Barton	IcedLotus runs a hand through her black and red hair, as she watches her monitors. Spy Glass was open one window, analyzing the attack for tell-tale signs to give away their opponent. So far it had ruled out Gh0st and Oracle, as well as Genus. ColdFront, was leading the probables the analytics seeing something vaguely Russian in the shape of the code, though Lotus just had to look at the dance going on in front of her to rule him out as well. That was not his style. She smiles, watching the intruder dance around Terracotta as he made a break for the exit. Pushing deeper into the network. That was alarming, the door, looked like just another port on the node with nothing to suggest it was the way to the body of the beast she'd built. "Interesting," she says and brings more programs into the fight, each lovingly named, Dragon, Vertigo, and Bloodhound. The attack comes fast and furious, Dragon, burns down the files and data stored in the node. Her employers would be screaming about lost passwords and transaction records tomorrow but that was tomorrow's problem. Vertigo came next, file names, port numbers being masked unmasked and changed with dizzying speed within the code meant to trap the intruder while Bloodhound, came for Nat directly, using what Looking Glass had decerned to try and track her back to where she sat in the real world.
Natasha Romanoff	Three prong assault. Efficient. But already Natasha is firing off more lines of code. She leans forward slightly in her seat, completely absorbed in the data on her screens. She's only worried about two of them. The current node may not be salvaged but she isn't worried so much about that. Yet, she has to make it seems she is. The lines of code are fired in, slamming up virtual walls as fast as a port flashes. The randomization of Vertigo has to be dealt with quickly even as she is catching those ports peripherally and sending her SafetyNet code to try and protect the data even as Dragon is razing it as quickly as she can fight back. Her own lines of code are being slipped in here and there, seeking to circumvent that particular nasty bit of code. More lines are typed in as fast as her fingers can move, isolating the a string of code she spots that she thnks is part of Vertigo. If it is, it will isolate that bit and that will cause the entire thing to collapse. As for Bloodhound, she throws up a cursory block but it is one that will easily be broken through. Her location will be found. She smiles a little thinking about it.
Skye Johnson	Skye gives off a low whistle for what's unfolding on Nat's front. If she had a second more to inspect it, she'd know who was behind it. As it is, Skye can only appreciate the nature of the attack. And the irony of the multi-pronged - or multi-headed - attack coming from Hydra. Skye sees her opportunity, though, while Nat is fending off the other.. She slips in under Nat's sideways move. Just innocuous bits of code that are meant to spread and gather, and once in place, set off the sleeper code that's been waiting for them. It's only part of her attack, but it's the first part. Get in. Then use that to attack. But getting in is the trickiest part.
Clint Barton	"Who are you?" IcedLotus mutters as she watches her screens. The Dancer, as she had begun calling their mystery guest was good, but Spy Glass was still coming up blank on her identity but hopefully Bloodhound would solve that. For now she kept up the attack, trying to patch Vertigo as and kill the little lines of Nat's safety net all at once. It's an impressive dance of her own one she hoped her foe would appreciate for the short time she had left. She pressed harder. "Horizon, run Medusa, and slow her down," she ordered over the open phone line. As she worked quickly patching Dragon and killing the little lines of SafetyNet as she did. Then Vertigo crashed. She cursed, but Bloodhound was away, following the Dancer's scent. She wondered idly if they'd take her alive and if she'd have a chance to meet her foe face to face. There wasn't time for that now, she slowed her own efforts as Medusa swept in, hammering the node with requests, slowing it to a crawl, so that both the Dancer and the defenses she fought against were moving in slow motion.
Natasha Romanoff	When the lines suddenly slow, Natasha frowns darkly. She would curse but the commlink is open and she doesn't have time to remove her fingers from the keyboard to turn it off. Instead she focuses on the slow down and tries to determine what is causing it. For long seconds, she is utterly lost and then she spots a small piece in a line that just doesn't go there. She highlights and tracks it. Then another piece in another line. Slow going but they are there. When she has a handful, she is able to discern the cause. Immediately she is throwing in additional processes and linking it right into their system. It allows their node to use her computer to speed up their requests. At the same time, as the lines cycle through, she is building the code used to create Medusa. Even as she is writing a counter to try. It's a furious dance of fingers on keys and her mind trying to catch each piece. Then she hits the button and sends off the code, making sure it is visibly named. Perseus invades Hydra's system.
Clint Barton	Bloodhound had done its work. The Dancer was in New York city. "It's always New York," IcedLotus mutters to herself even as she hung up on Horizon and dialed another number. It clicked connected but nobody spoke, "Operations, this is Info, we need an intervention," she reads off the address. There's a moment of silence then two beeps follow. In New York, more phones ring, agents of Hydra quickly grab weapons, vehicles, and begin to converge. There's an air of excitement to their journey, one which would be absent if they knew who was waiting on the other side. That moment of distraction though, that lets Perseus do its work. Perseus reflects the Medusa code back at itself and the systems launching the attack are slowed while the node is free. Even faster now as all the legitimate traffic has stopped amidst the battle. IcedLotus curses sharply in Mandarin as she reads the name. Then her own fingers fly across her keyboard again. Re-running some of the failed code to buy time, Dragon, Terracotta. Outside the safehouse an SUV pulls up, and men step out, a warning light flashes on Nat's machine and one of the monitors switch to the outside feed. Distraction managed.
Natasha Romanoff	As the code begins to run the same programs again, Natasha taps into the data she used before and puts it into play. The system isn't entirely automated but it will work on trying to tackle those particular programs it already faced a few moments ago. Only Natasha sends off her second salvo. This time there is an attack, a blatant drive in toward the core of the node. Since she has been seen, there is no reason for her to hide in the shadows. She sets Jackhammer to work, firing over and over in multiple hits at their security as she watches the light go off on her machine. "I'm going need a moment," Natasha murmurs into the commlink. "It's set on auto for now but if she shuts it down, I can't fight back at the moment." Well, not in the virtual sense. There is silence then the sound of a door being blasted in and breaking windows. Heavy boots. No voices at first as the strike team makes entry. Then there is the sound of chaos. Screams, shouts, gunfire. Some so sporadic and rapid fire. Those with the right ear will pick up precision shots interspersed between the others, the sound of Glock 26s for the true weapons afficiandos. More shouts and thuds as bodies hit the floor. It is less than a minute when they will hear Natasha's voice. Only, she isn't talking to SHIELD. Using the radio from one of the fallen men, Natasha speaks to Hydra directly. "I think I broke your toys. Send me some more dance partners." Then she is back on the keys and the commlink. "I should have about a two minute window. Do your thing."
Clint Barton	On Strike 7's Quinjet, like Bucky, Clint is loaded for bear. With the rest of the team in attendance he keeps a calm demeanor, amusing himself with his phone, legs kicked out, though every few minutes his eyes flick up from the apartment ads on Craigslist to check the time. How long did hacks take? I mean the stuff he'd seen Nat do on site, usually a couple of minutes, but then he suspected having physical access to the computer helped a ton. Not to mention the ability to have your partner beat the password out of some random bad-guy desk jockey probably didn't hurt either. He frowns back down at the screen to see that little two bedroom on the lower east side had been replaced by a battery symbol. "Piece of crap," Clint cursed and stuck the phone away under his seat on the jet. Noticing the looming spectre of the Winter Soldier nearby, he gives him a nod. "Got any bets on where we'll end up going?" he asks. "With my luck, Italy." There'd be a certain irony to that.
Skye Johnson	Two minutes then. Well, Skye had worked in a tighter window than that. She really hadn't expected much more, even if it would have been nice. This was now her baby to put to bed. Unlike Nat, Skye hadn't named her programs. This wasn't a meet and greet. She wasn't creating an illusion. Skye was going full on DarkSkye mode now, and by the end of this whoever was on the other end would know it. IcedLotus, no doubt. That only added to the difficulty. And to the ease. Lotus didn't know who she was up against yet, and Skye would use that to her own advantage until she lost it. Her code slips in silently, and starts to do its stuff. Like the head-to-head with Nat, each bit had the potential to work alone, as well as link up with the others bits. The loss of any particular portion shouldn't affect the whole; too many, though, and SHIELD wouldn't get all they needed or hoped for. It was the tradeoff, though, to what Skye wanted as a secondary effect: To paralyze Hydra's systems for long enough to let the attacks take out as many cells as possible. Of course, they had to get the information on those cells.. And that's where the trickier bits of Skye's code came in, along with the sleeper bits. "Two minutes," Skye murmurs back to Nat, ignoring everything but her tasks at hand. "Piece of cake."
James Barnes	Bucky was completely silent, embodying the Winter Soldier once more. Though when Clint started to talk, Bucky slowly turned his head to him. "Uncertain." is all he replies, though he does seem more approving that Clint's put his phone away. Bucky checks to make sure everything is loaded one more time... Then a small breath is taken as the Quinjet resumes it's course.
Clint Barton	IcedLotus notices the subtle difference in The Dancer's movements. She was gone and only bots remain. Hopefully that would be a permanent situation. She presses her phone to call Horizon and tells him curtly, "The problem has been handled, destroy her bots and then we'll begin clean up. I'll make the suitable noises to our employer to apologize for the mess." She also, plans to check if The Dancer is alive, or if the team found any ID on her. She'd gotten into computers because of her curiosity and while was a gun for hire now, that didn't mean that part of her went away. She hangs up on Horizon and calls Operations again. There's no answer. Not even voice mail. These systems her employer worked out. She shakes her head, turning back to the Spy Glass readouts to see I they told her anything she didn't already know. For the moment IcedLotus' eye was off the store. 1min 52sec.
Clint Barton	Clint supresses a slight shiver, the whole Winter Soldier look, plus the detached tone it definitely had a scary agent of death vibe to it. Still, Clint being Clint he smiles, because that's how you deal with weird ass shit as Clint Barton, "That's why it's a bet. If we knew, then what's the point," he says no heat or criticism in his words. Clint seems like the type of guy who talks to talk, especially when things are about to get harry. Probably nothing Bucky hasn't seen before.
James Barnes	Bucky turns his head back to Clint as he starts to talk and get out whatever nerves he may have. Bucky pinged him as that kind of guy right from the get go, so nothing was too strange. "I don't make bets." he says simply, before he just guesses something out of the blue. "Greece." he says to just help out. He didn't have to be the cold Winter Soldier -all- the time.
Skye Johnson	1:51:00 Nat's bots would be noticed, Skye had no doubt. As would Nat's dispatching of the disturbance on her end. No help for it, it's one of the scenarios they'd run down the logistics for. The trouble would be if who Nat was came to full light before Skye's code had enough time to do it's stuff. On a hunch, Skye adjusted her countdown by 30 seconds. 1:20:07 The new timeline was tighter, but it would have her in and out under the wire, and hopefully with less collateral damage on their parts. Regardless, now she was at work. The sleeper replicated itself in the way of all the best trojans - just taking a liesurely ride with processes under way. And, there were a lot of them going on, including the checks that Lotus hersself had set in motion. That was the clever bit of it all. It always had been. The only way to keep a system from spreading something, other than stopping the virus, was to shut the system down, and Skye was banking on Hydra not wanting to do that. She needed them not to notice anything till the bits were in place, though, and once they were, they'd start activating the data downloads. The other bits were running seemingly innocuous loops. They were the other distraction. The distraction that wasn't. If Skye played it right, with Nat's code falling, Skye's distraction would cover the other, even as it fell into place as the firming up of the nueural net that would take things down. Skye didn't need all the time she had left. She was just counting on having to actually fend attacks at some point. That, she knew, would eat her time. The bits of code? They needed that time. Nat danced. Skye whispered.
Melinda May	"You're both wrong," is all May adds to the conversation between the two men on the quinjet. She's busy piloting, after all. Strike 7's quinjet is not particularly remarkable amongst the rest, so why she was tapped to pilot it and not any of the others... No telling. But there she is nonetheless. As much as she wants to, she doesn't query Natasha or Skye for their updates, knowing they're both busy doing the things that they do best. But still, it would be nice to know what's going on. At least she has the sound of Skye typing to help her keep track of the younger agent.
Clint Barton	IcedLotus glanced back at her readouts. Hmm, that wasn't right. There were a few too many processes running in the main hub. She pulled up details, quickly boring down, isolating a bit of that looping code. She wasn't worried yet. Still, there was an itch at the back of her neck, that told her to keep digging. Idly. She increased the security level on the hub, doors slamming over previously open systems with prompts demanding passwords. It would slow efficiency but it would be worth it if the itch was right. It turned out it was right. She knew this code, indeed she'd borrowed it to make Medusa. "DarkSky" she says and dials Horizon. "Shut down the node and join me on the hub. Now!" DarkSky's code didn't mean DarkSky herself, but she wasn't going to take that chance. She turns her attention to the code now using Spy Glass to help her sniff for things that should be there, things, she'd missed. 1:11:03
Clint Barton	Still smiling Clint says, "See, wasn't so hard," over at the Winter Soldier, calling him Bucky, even in his head, felt wrong when he was dressed like he was. May's remark from the cockpit earns a look and a raised brow from Clint. "Care to enlighten us then?" he asks.
James Barnes	Bucky just barely turns his head to Agent May, giving a small smirk at the bluntness of her response. "For Clint's sake, might as well." he gives a more teasing grin. Though he was still going to be fairly cold and heartless when boots are on the ground so to speak, he can have a little bit of small fun.
Melinda May	"No, I don't care to." Because Barnes isn't the only one that can mess with Barton. Although, May's words are deadpan enough to make it a tossup whether or not she's actually joking. Of course, that's half the fun, making everyone wonder. "But I will offer a consolation. It's not Budapest."
Skye Johnson	And there it was. The increase in security protocols was noted. It wasn't unexpected. Things were heading along exactly as Skye figured they might in the most likely scenario. From here she had to trust her code was doing what she'd programmed it to do, and deal with the threats one on one. It was going to be a full on disclosure of who she was, and likely by the end of it, *where* she was, but that, too, Skye had anticipated. It had been part of her anxiety over the past weeks: once Operation Hammerfall was over, the fact that DarkSky worked for SHIELD was going to be semi-public knowledge on the darknet. There was casting your lot in with, and burning bridges. As least she could make this one a memorable blaze. "We're at 1:06 and counting. I'm in. All teams prepare for incoming data transfers through the arranged secure channels. I repeat, 1:03 and counting." She set out bait for Lotus. Skye had already decided that would be who her foe was. Nat wasn't necessary anymore. The game had just changed.
Clint Barton	IcedLotus was looking and finding nothing, which only increased her anxiety that she was actually facing DarkSky. "Horizon," she said. "Tell who's ever in charge today we need to shut down the hub." "That bad." "Maybe." There was a moment of quiet. "Now," she barked. In her past Lotus would have only gone there as a last resort. To do it, that was rolling over and showing your belly, and if it were just her system, she would never have countenanced it but this wasn't her system. As angry as the shut down would make her present employers, they'd be much angrier with their secrets all over the darknet. For SHIELD or anyone else to pick up like so much dropped change. SHIELD. That was bringing things back, things she'd overlooked during the attack on the Triskelion. No, no, no. "Get them to shut it down now! Do it yourself if you have to it's SHIELD." Then she put Horizon out of her mind Spy Glass pinged a hit, some ethereal bit of code that suggested DarkSky's presence on the system. It wasn't much, but it was enough, she did away with the fancy programs and came at her directly, throwing bits of code that would follow her opponent's connection back to source, others to tie her up and keep her on the defensive while her people, hopefully took care of the rest.
Clint Barton	Clint smiles a little at the teasing or what he thinks is teasing. "Yeah, yeah," he says to the Soldier and May before he smirks when Budapest is brought up. "I hope not. Once is enough. Could be the Caribbean," he says hopefully. "Maybe Hydra's set up shop sandy beach somewhere." He wasn't going to hold his breath. Skye's voice in his ear, that get's his attention. One minute, okay, guess the wait was coming to an end. "So, no last bets?" he asks the others as he starts slipping into business mode.
James Barnes	Bucky is just slightly curious about what happened in Budapest, but he doesn't press it for the sole purpose of Clint's pride. "They've done it before." he replies simply to Clint when he speaks of HYDRA setting up shop in the Caribean. Sorry Clint, no beaches. They have one minute, Bucky hears it too, and as such he cacks his assault rifle and holds it in his hands. Soon it'd be time for a bit more...action-packed sequence. "None here."
Skye Johnson	The gateways begin to cascade shut, their demands for passwords already too late for what Skye put in place. She'd gotten her code in under that wire. Not all of it would survive, but enough. Of that she was certain. It was now connected directly to her and the data downloads were beginning. Of course it was all raw data now. But they had programs on board to help deal with that. The actual pertinent information to the strikes would be pulled and the other gone over with a fine tooth comb later. That portion was no longer her concern. Now all Skye had to do was distract enough to let that transfer finish. Or as much of it as possible. The secondary protocols were engaged, the tiny bits of code seeking out like mates in other programs and forming links. Bits of code that by themselves had meant nothing - and would have been overlooked - but once linked would overload Hydra's systems and, like a pulse of electricity along a conduit not set to carry that power, would fry whatever it was in contact with. Enough points of contact, and Skye could conceivably cripple a large portion of Hydra. At least until the redundancies were brought back into play. And backups. And system sweeps.. yeah. She'd thought of that too. There would be little presents left behind. In hacking terms, Skye had gone in with extreme prejudice. Once this particular action had been decided upon, that was a foregone conclusion. And if they'd gotten in and out without being found, the code bits would have waited for some future date. That was the interesting thing about garbage code. Nobody ever looked at it. Like the Spanish Inquisition, you never expected it. "Nice try, Lotus. But since we're both her together.. let's try this." The lines of code sent her way, Skkye let through. The system she was on wasn't connected to SHIELD and it would be destroyed when this was over. The data transfers were all on other channels. All secured. All randomized. All the deck Skye was working with was for was this singular thing. As far as protecting it, let Lotus come at her. All she'd find was a moving point. A ghost in the machine so to speak. But since she was here, she might as well do some overt damage. Small clusters of code meant to scramble things directly at IcedLotus terminal were volleyed in return. Along with a few side annoyances. The longer Lotus looked away from what was being accessed, the better.
Melinda May	"I'm not playing." Likely because she already knows their destination, or somewhere close at least. "Though I hear the beaches in Estonia are nice." Frozen, but nice. She hears Skye's announcement, and waits for the intel to come through so she can adjust their trajectory accordingly.
Clint Barton	Hydra Data Centre Location: 'The Castle', Caracas, Venezuela. The subtle and long buried code does its work, files are found and shuffled out through a dozen doors and pathways to the waiting arms of SHIELD. Warnings flash on IcedLotus' screen as they do, but its already too late. She can see the complexity of the code as it begins to form and she knows time is short. She needs to be gone from here. So when DarkSkyes attacks come she doesn't bother to defend, instead she throws it all into attack, trying to spike DarkSkye's system while she does the same to her. Her attack is true to Hydra's nature, a swarming of biting heads, each deadly each, recurring, so when it dies another and another takes its place. It's a pretty bit of code, and a fine distraction while she runs another little program she'd tucked away, quickly building infected files to be snatched up and sent away. Ones that could be used to track the rest, if they're not caught. Then, her system goes dark along with all the other systems in the network. She sighs, defeated, and for a moment does nothing, her employers would be furious, but her Benefactor may still be merciful. She got up from where she sat, grabbing two bags and her phone. The phone buzzes, she looks the message is what she hoped for it reads: THEY'RE COMING. COME HOME. She types back: COULD HAVE HELPED. The reply is the one he always gave, her Benefactor: SOON. BUT NOT YET. THE TIME IS NOT RIPE. And with that IcedLotus slips into the chaos going on outside her door.
Skye Johnson	The clock stops at 00:01:01. She'd cut it fine before pulling the kill switch command on her code. It had been a gamble in the end, but she'd wanted those last seconds if at all possible. And she'd want her hands on that data, too. Watching her opponent's response to herself, Skye had no doubt there were going to be presents in the packets. Hell, she'd left presents behind. It was just situation normal in her world. Guns were a lot less subtle. You almost always knew when you'd been hit. In her world, though? It wasn't the obvious that got you in the end. It never was. Yeah, Skye would be fine tooth combing that stuff for a long while. For her, it had seemed an eternity behind the keyboard. For the strike teams? It probably had been a ridiculously small amount of time. When the systems went dark, her own with it, nothing but that cursor flashing over the 00:01:01 Skye was exhausted. Spent. She leans her forehead on the upper edge of her laptop, with her eyes closed. "System is down, boys and girls. I can't do anything else for you now. Kick ass."
Melinda May	"Roger that," May replies to Skye. "Strike teams, that's our go." And she punches the quinjet to full speed, heading for their target destination.
Clint Barton	"You guys are no fun on road trips," Clint grouses good naturedly before he waits for the word to come down on where they're going. Then he's all business the rest of the ride.
James Barnes	When Bucky hears that it's lights green, he gets serious staring at the wall and zoning himself in for what's going to be a rather violent evening.